Gun-rack.



No. 846,674. PATENTED-MARKIZ, 1907;

' B. E. LAMB.

GUN RAGK.

APPLICATION FILED 00111, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

EDWIN E. LAMB, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKCLAFFEY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

GUN-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed October 11,1905. Serial No. 282,359;

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. LAMB, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of.

lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to'the class of devices used for supportingfirearms; and the object of my invention is to provide a rack in whichfirearms may be located in an accessible position within a tent and atthe same time not obstruct the full usage of the tent by reduc ing thefloor-space; and a further object of the invention is to provide a rackin which the firearms may besuspended in a manner to avoid injurythereto. One form of device in the use of which these objects may beattained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a perspective view showing a portion of the ridge-pole of a tent withmy improved rack in place thereon supporting a number of rifles. Fig. 2is a perspective view of the rack for supporting the muzzle end of therifle. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of that portion of the rack designedfor supporting the butt of the rifle. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewshowing a modified form of rack.

Prior to my invention it has been customary to provide a tent used formilitary purposes with a gun-rack located, preferably, at the rearof'the tent, so that the rifles or firearms are supported in an uprightposition with the butts resting on the floor or on a piece secured tothe floor. An objection has been found to this method of temporarilystoring firearms, for the reason that the floorspace of such tents isnecessarily limited, and for a further reason that the guns are soplaced that the locks are liable to injury in the ordinary uses of thetent. By my improved device I have provided means whereby the rifles orfirearms may be suspended from the ridge-pole of the tent, so that theentire floor-space is accessible for ordinary use and the rifles arelocated in a position to avoid injury.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 denotes the ridge-pole of atent over which the canvas (not shown) is placed in a common andwell-known manner and from which it slopes downward on opposite sides inthe form of an inverted V.

In carrying out my invention I provide what may be termed amuzzle-support or rack? and a butt-support or rack. Each of thesesupports or racks includes a base-piece 2, each preferably formed ofsheet metal bent at op osite ends to form knuckles 3, in which the sldebars of the racks are supported. The space between these knuckles ispreferably of a width to receive the lower edge of the ridge-pole, thatcloselyfits within the space, the knuckles being located on oppositesides of the ridge-pole, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Thesebase-pieces may be secured to the ridgeole in any convenient manner. Inthe pre erred form bolts 4 project through the ridge-pole and throughthe base-piece, the latter being secured, as by nuts 5.

The muzzle-support or rack consists of a frame constructed of wire ofsuitable form, the opposite ends of which are passed through theknuckles 3 and secured in any desired manner, in the form shown theseends being bent over, as shown at 6. The side parts of the frame extenddownward, gradually separating toward the lower part, the slope of theside parts of the frame preferably conforming to the slope of the canvascomposing the roof of the tent. These side bars 7 of the frame arejoined at the bottom by a crossbar 8, the whole structure composing theframe being preferably formed of a single piece of wire. Hooks 9 arepivoted on the cross-bar, these hooks being provided in any desirednumber, four being shown herein. These hooks are preferably formed ofsheet metal, one end being formed into an eye to receive the cross-barand the other end be ing bent to form a hook to receive thestacking-swivel 10 of the rifle. Spacers 11 are located on the cross-barbetween the hooks, these spacers consisting of sleeves encircling thebar to hold the hooks at proper distances apart. The frame of the rackfor supporting the butt-end of the rifle is similarly formed as to itsconstruction and has means of attachment to the base-piece, as abovedescribed with respect to the muzzle-support. The side parts slopedownward, separating toward the bottom, as above described; but theframe as a whole is preferably made longer than that for supporting themuzzle. The lower part of the butt-support may be formed of parallelside parts 12, and the ICC cross-bar is formed with depressions 13, therod forming the frame being bent, as shown, to form these depressions,within which the butt of the rifle is laid. In Fig. 1 of the drawingsthe rifles are shown as properly supported by my improved rack, and itwill readily be seen that there is no danger of injury to the mechanismof the piece.

In some forms of rifle used by troops there is no stacking-swivel andtherefore no means for utilizing a hook, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ofthe drawings. In order to properly support a rifle without suchstacking-swivel, I provide a muzzle-support, as shown in Fig. 4, inwhich the base 2 is constructed as hereinbefore described, the framesloping downward, as at 15, similar to that hereinbefore described withreference to the buttsupport, and the lower end being provided withdepressions 14 similar to those of the butt support hereinbeforedescribed. It will be obvious that this frame may be of any desiredlength with respect to the buttsupport to sustain the rifles in anydesired position.

It is obvious that the details of construction may be changed to agreater or less extent without departing from the invention, whichincludes the attachment to the ridgepole of a tent of frames forsupporting the muzzle and butt of a rifle, said frames conforming to theshape of the side walls of the tent.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including amuzzle and a butt support secured to the ridge-pole and each including aframe having side parts shaped to conform to the sloping walls of thetent and a transversely-arranged piece rigidly secured to a side partand forming means for support of the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

2. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack removablysecured thereto and including a muzzle and a butt support each includinga frame having side parts shaped to conform to the sloping walls of thetent and a transversely-arranged piece rigidly'connected to a side partand forming means; of attachment for the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

' 3. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including abase secured to the under side of the ridge-pole with side partsembracing the sides of the pole, and a frame secured to said base anddepending thprefrom and having means for holding a rire.

4. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including abutt-support depending from the ridge-pole and having recesses for thereception of the butts of the rifles and a muzzle-support depending fromsaid ridge-pole and having hooks for the reception of the swivels of therifles.

5. An improved gunrack including a base having knuckles formed thereonto embrace the sides of a ridge-pole, a frame with its ends projectingthrough said knuckles and secured therein and bent at an angle thereto,and having means for holding a rifle therein.

6. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including abutt-support having a base with knuckles to embrace the sides of theridge-pole with a frame having its ends extending through the knucklesand bent to embrace the same, said frame being bent at an angle to thebase and having means for supporting the butts of rifles, and amuzzlesupport including a similarly-formed base with hooks secured to alower cross-bar.

7. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including amuzzle and a butt support secured to the ridgerpole and each including aframe having side parts depending from the ridge-pole and atransversely-arranged piece rigidly connected to the side parts andforming means for the support of the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

EDI/VIN E. LAMB.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS, LENA E. Bnmcovlron.

